Mexico

Growing numbers of people displaced by violence 

According to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, the numbers of displaced people in Central American countries reached record levels in 2021, creating a humanitarian crisis. Almost a million people fled their homes to escape violence and a lack of opportunities in their home countries, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

MSF calls for a humane approach to migration

The new US administration had indicated that it would adopt a more compassionate attitude towards undocumented migrants and refugees arriving from the south, but it maintained its restrictive asylum policies, citing public health reasons, closed its borders and deported hundreds of thousands of people to Mexico and other countries. This, and the criminalization of migration by regional governments, forced people to risk more dangerous routes, where they were exposed to robbery, extortion, torture, sexual aggression, rape, and kidnapping.

Providing humanitarian aid to migrants 

Our teams worked to improve access to medical and psychological care at different points along the migratory route, prioritizing assistance to the most vulnerable groups: children, unaccompanied minors, women traveling alone, non-Spanish-speaking people, extra continental migrants, older adults, LGBTIQ people, and victims of direct violence.